Web supply mechanism for printing presses



Sept. 14, 1954 MCWHORTER 2,689,095

WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FDR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 31, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 IVVENT P 14, 1954 H. L. MCWHORTER WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 51, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 P 1954 H. 1.. MCWHORTER WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 31, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept- 1954 H. M WHORTER WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 51, 1951.

9 Sheets-Sheet 4 ADV: NI'Ok Wang L. ma lohou-tef W,V% CR-r-rowoa Sept. 1954 H. L..MWHORTER WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 51. 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 P 14, 1954 H. 1.. MOWHORTER 2,689,095

WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 31, 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 P 14, 1954 H. 1.. MGWHORTER ,68

WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 31 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 NYE-MTG Q-lerim ecJhovte/l /g; di-f'romsyf p 14, 1954 H. MGWHORTER 2,689,095

WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 31 1951 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Patented Sept. 14, 1954 WEB SUPPLY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Henry L. McWhorter, Hinsdale,

111., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, ill., a corporation of Illinois Application July 31*, 1951, Serial No. 239,542 6 Claims. (@l. 242-58) The present invention relates generally to web fed printing presses and more particularly to the supply of the paper web thereto.

Successful operation of presses of the above character, particularly those employed in the printing of newspapers depends in large measure.

on the maintenance of a continuous supply of paper thereto. Press installations for this purpose thus include, in addition to the actual printing press itself, apparatus generally referred to as a paper reel. The reel includes supporting means for a roll of paper, called the running Web roll, from which the paper web is withdrawn and supplied to the press and for a new or reserve roll of paper from which the press is to be supplied upon expiration of the running web roll. It also includes means for effecting a splice or pastor of the leading end of the paper on the new roll to the running web as the running web roll is about to expire so that paper supply to the press is uninterrupted. In addition to the foregoing, paper reel installations include means for controlling the tension in the running web of paper as it is supplied to the press.

will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the truly critical period in the operation of press installations or" this character, especially at the high speeds required in the publication of a large daily newspaper, is when the web supply is changed from the expiring roll to the new roll, that is, at the time when the pastor is made. It has been found that in order for pasters to be made successfully so that the changeover of paper supply from the old to the new rolls obtains without a break in the web occurring, web tension must be maintained substantially constant. It

will be obvious that a sudden increase in web' tension will result in a web break, and a decrease in web tension will permit a momentary oversupply of paper which when taken up by the press will result in a sudden jerk on the web with a consequent break therein.

Running web tension is normally controlled through the application of a braking force to the periphery of the running web roll by means of belts. Such belts therefore must partially Wrap around the running web roll in order to be effective. It will be apparent that as the running web roll is about to expire the new roll must be moved into position to take its place. Nevertheless, as lcng as the paper web is being supplied from the expiring roll, the belts must be effective to apply a braking force thereto to maintaintension control of the running web. Thus the belts are not normally capable of applying a braking 2V force to the periphery of the new roll until the new roll has been moved far enough into the belts so that some wrap-around of the belts thereon obtains.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved means for effecting pasters which will operate reliably over the range of press speeds and in which the risks of making pasters at high speeds are largely eliminated.

Still another object is to provide means for effecting pasters which not only is reliable in operation but is also of durable and simple construction and which permits of economical manufacture.

A more specific object of the invention lies in the provision of means for maintaining tension in the running web during the period of transfer of web supply from the expiring roll of paper to the new roll of paper to the end that the transfer can be eifected even at high press speeds.

Another object of the invention is to provide two-speed reel indexing: first, a relatively high speed to quickly attain web tension control of the web supplied from anew paper roll by the normal tension control means; and a relatively low speed thereafter to allow time for the normal tension control means to adjust itself to accommodate the new roll and to facilitate positioning of the paper roll supporting means.

A still further object of the invention is to eliminate flutter in the running web from the expiring web roll as a pastor is about to be effected so as to preclude the making of a pastor prematurely and also to get the severed'web portion or tailor" the expired web roll quickly out of the way after a paster has been effected.

The objects of the invention thus generally set forth together with other objects and ancillary advantages are obtained by the construction and arrangement shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a paper Web supply assembly for a printing press embodying the features of the present invention and illustrating component relationship as a pastor is about to beeffected.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary side elevational views similar to Fig. l but illustrating variousrelative positions of the web supply assembly at successive steps during the making of a pastor.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the pastor carriage and its associated components.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the paster carriage illustrated in Fig. 7 is a fragmentary front elevation of the paster carriage and its associated components shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation like Fig. 1 but showing component relationship after a paster has been completed.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a new paper roll prepared for making a paster.

Figs. 10 and 11 are operational charts indicating the sequence of events in making pastings at high speed and low speed respectively.

Figs. 12 and 13 are a schematic line-to-line diagram illustrative of a suitable electric circuit for controlling the operation of the instant web supply mechanism.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail the preferred embodiment, but

it is to be understood that it is not thereby intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed, but it is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a paper web supply assembly comprising, in general, a reel ID for supporting paper rolls lla, Ill), and H from which a paper web W is fed to a printing press (not shown) a paster mechanism l2 for joining the leading end of the paper of the new roll Ila to the running web W from the expiring roll H13; and a web tension control system including stationary belts l4 and a floating roller l engaging in a loop in the running web W. The reel l0 includes a pair of upright supporting frames ll; of generally Y-shape which comprise the support for the entire web supply assembly.

The reel [0 is disposed between the frames l6 and includes a pair of spaced, three-arm spiders l? for the support of spindles l8 upon which the paper rolls I la, l lb and l lc are rotatably mounted. The spiders l! are carried by a central shaft it which is journaled on the Y-frame supporting structure IS. The central shaft [9 and the spiders ll are adapted to be rotated by means of a two-speed, constant torque motor through the medium of a suitable speed reduction gear train 2i enclosed within a housing 22.

The motor 20 is effective to index the rolls of paper l l between three primary positions; a loading position, a reserve position, and an operative feeding position. These positions are shown particularly in Figure 8 wherein the arm of the spider l'i supporting the running web roll is substantially horizontal.

The web tension control system, per se, forms no part of the present invention. For details thereof reference is made to copending application, Serial No. 304,405, filed August 14, 1952. Suffice it to say for present purposes that the web tension control system, which includes the stationary belts l4 and the floating roller I5, is effective to maintain a particular desired web tension in the running web W, by the application of a braking force to the running web roll III) by the engagement of the belts l4 with the periphery thereof. The floating roller l5 which, as previously noted, is disposed in a loop in the running web is effective to sense changes in web tension from the particular desired tension setting and upon so doing is operative through suitable mechanical linkage with a jet pipe hydraulic regulator 23 to control the supply of pressure fluid to a hydraulic actuator 24 for the belts M. The latter comprises a piston and cylinder operators for extending and retracting tension pulleys 25 engaged in loops in the belts l4 so as to effectively lengthen or shorten the same. Thus the braking force applied by the belts to the running web roll III) is altered to compensate for tension variations from a particular control setting.

The present invention contemplates a construction and arrangement which is exceedingly simple yet nevertheless is effective to join the leading end of the paper on the new roll Ila to the running web W from the roll llb as the latter is about to expire, and to do so without the necessity for either stopping the press or reducing its speed. In order to accomplish the above aim, it will be apparent that the new roll lla must be initially rotated so as to have a peripheral speed substantially equal to that of the running web, and the leading end of the paper thereon must be prepared so that it can be joined to the running web simply by pressing the two together.

For the latter purpose the leading end of the paper on the roll I la is prepared substantially as shown in Fig. 9. It will there be seen that the leading end of the paper is formed into a substantially right angular point which is releasably attached to the body of the paper roll. Along the leading edges of the end of the paper a suitable cement is applied as indicated at 3i, which cement has thev property of remaining sticky.

In order to bring the new roll I la up to press speed, a predrive mechanism is provided. The predrive mechanism includes belts 35 which run about spaced pulleys 31 and 38 and are adapted to be moved into engagement with the peripheral surface of the reserve roll lla by means of a pneumatic actuator 39. The belts 36 are adapted to be driven by means of an endless belt between the pulley 38 and a differential mechanism indicated generally at 40, the latter being driven from the main press drive shaft (not shown) When the new web roll l to. has been brought up to press speed, the reel I0 is indexed so as to position the surface of the new roll in closely spaced relation to the running web W. In order to effect the joining of the leading end of the paper on the roll lla with the running web W, not only is the new roll Ila indexed into the path of the running web, but also, and simultaneously with the indexing, the running web is deflected out of its normal path and into engagement with the new roll lla. For this latter purpose the paster l2 includes a set of web engaging brushes which are carried by and are movable with respect to a carriage 46. The carriage 46 is pivotally supported on a transverse shaft 41 which is journaled between the Y- frames I6 for movement toward and away from the running web. As shown, movement of the carriage 46 toward and away from the running web W is effected by means of a pneumatic cylinder and piston actuator 48 which also is sup ported on the frame IS.

The brushes 45 are rockably supported on the carriage 46 for movement toward the running web W to deflect the same out of its normal path. Thus the brushes are mounted on a transverse rock shaft 50 by means of arms 5! which are suitably apertured to receive the rock shaft. The rock shaft 50 is journaled at its ends on the carriage 46 and adjacent one end thereof is radially therefrom. As shown, the outer end of the lever is connected to the piston of a pneumatic actuator 53 by means of which it is adapted to be rocked. It will be apparent that the lever 52, the rock shaft 50 and the brush supporting arms 5i form in effect a bell-crank so that upon operation of the actuator 53 the brushes are rocked with respect to the carriage 46 and into the running web W to deflect the same into engagement with the peripheral surface of the new roll Ila as the new roll is indexed toward the running web. When the glued leading end of the paper of the new roll lla, upon rotation thereof, comes into contact with the running web, a paster is eiiected, and the paper is led from the new roll along with the running web W up into the printing press.

After the paster has been. eifected and the leading end of the paper from the roll Ila has been drawn upward into the printing press, the paper from the new roll becomes the running web and the paper from the old roll llb must be severed. For this purpose the paster carriage id is equipped with. a tail cutter 55 which includes a row of serrated knives 56 extending transversely of the web W. The knives 56 are supported on a rock shaft 57 by means of supporting arms 58. The rock shaft 51 is journaled at its ends on the carriage 45 and, as shown, is adapted to be rotated by means of a pneumatic actuator 59 acting through a lever E6 rigid with the shaft 51.

To eliminate flutter in the running web from the expiring web roll llb as a paster is about to be effected, to preclude premature contact of the running web W with the glued leading edge of the paper on the new web roll Ila, and further to get the severed tail of the expired web roll quickly out of the way after a paster been effected, air jet means is provided for applying a current of air against the running web W. As shown in the drawings, this means comprises small pipe 6| disposed along the lower forward edge of the paster carriage 46 and which is provided with a longitudinally spaced series of small holes. Suitable connection (indicated diagrammatically at 61A in Fig. 2) is made between the jet pipe 6! and the air line supplying compressed air to the rear cylinder chamber of the carriage actuator 48. to the end that upon admission of compressed air to such chamber to advance the carriage tfi and maintain the same in its lowered position, compressed air is simultaneously supplied to the pipe El. This compressed air, finding its way through the pipe and the holes therein is thus directed as line jets entirely across the running web W. These jets of air have been found to effectively eliminate flutter in the running web which is due to irregularities in the contour of the expiring web roll I lb as it approaches its core. The location of the air jets along the lower edge of the paster carriage 56 thus eliminates the nutter prior to the approach of the web to the new web roll Ila. By the same token, the air jets are effective, as indicated in Fig. 4, to blow the tail of the paper from the expired web roll llb inwardly and downwardly and thus out of the way immediately upon its severance by the action of the tail cutter 55.

As hereinbefore noted, the key to making successful pasters is to maintain substantially constant tension in the paper web supplied thereto. It will be apparent. upon an inspection of the drawings that. at the moment that the paster is made the new roll has not reached a point far enough in its path of movement to press into the belts so as to effect sufilcient' wrap-around thereof so that the belts can apply a braking force to the new roll. The reason for this is that the belts are so positioned as to maintain wrap-around engagement with the expiring roll lib to control the tension of the running web W as it is withdrawn therefrom untilthe same is severed by operation. of. the tail cutter 55.

In carrying out the invention, therefore, provision is made for the application of a braking force to the new web roll llwwhenthe paster is made as an incident to the relative movement between the new roll and the paster assembly l2. More particularly, a braking force is applied to the roll Ila by indexing the roll at high speed toward the paster assembly and into the belts It, the paster assembly being operative to hold the belts against the new roll with a constant force. To this end, the carriage 46 is equipped with arcuate feet 62 which. correspond in number and spacing to the belts M and are. adapted to engage the belts and deflect the same toward the new roll lla as the carriage i6 is moved toward the running web by operation of the carriage actuator 48. The actuator 48, as previously noted, is pneumatically operated and the compressed air supplied thereto is maintained constant under the control of a suitable pressure regulating valve 64 interposed in its supply line 65 which in turn is connected to asuitable source of compressed air (not shown). Thus the arcuate feet 82 are operative to exert a constant force on the tension belts l 4 to press the same into engagement with the new roll Ila. As the reel I0 is indexed, the new roll Ila, of course, exerts a force against the belts and therefore against the feet 62 as well. Since the feet 62 are held against the belts with a constant force as de termined by the air pressure supply to the actuator 48, continued indexing of the reel it will cause the feet 62 and the paster carriage 5G to be moved outwardly or to the right (as shown in the drawings) as the new roll I la is moved toward normal operative web feeding position. When movement of the roll l la has progressed so that there is sufiicient wrap-around of the belts i i thereon, and thus the belts are capable of applying sufficient braking force to maintain normal web tension through the operation of the tension control system, the carriage actuator 48 is operated to retract the carriage 46 into its out-of-the-way position. At the same time, high speed indexing is stopped and movement ofthe new roll Ila into normal operating position, as shown in Fig. 8, progresses at slow speed.

The slow-speed indexing of the reel Iii into the position shown in Fig. 8 facilitates accurate location of the spider arms l'l between which the old web roll ll'b was supported in leading position where the core of the roll Hi) can be removed and a new paper roll 1 lo loaded thereon. This new roll of paper, which may weigh about a ton, is ordinarily transported to the reel It on a suitable dolly or the like. Because of its weight, and because of space limitations, accurate positioning of the spider arms to receive the same is necessary so that the new roll llc can be supported on the spindles IS without necessity for lowering or raising the roll.

As hereinbefore noted, braking force applied by the belts l4 to-theperpihery of the web supplying roll is under the control of the hydraulic actuator 24. Since the new roll Ila from which the web is now being supplied to the press is of considerably larger diameter than that of the expired web roll, a correspondingly greater belt length must be provided to accommodate the new roll. Thus it is necessary that the piston of the actuator 24 and the tension pulley 25 carried thereby be retracted so as to afford the necessary additional belt length. The retracting force is of course derived from the indexing of the new roll into the belts. By indexing the new web roll IIa at slow speed toward the position shown in Fig. 8, the normal operating position, sufilcient time is allowed for the relatively large volume of the hydraulic fluid behind the piston of the actuator 24 to be expelled from the actuator.

Electrical control system In the illustrative embodiment of the invention a suitable electric circuit, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13 is utilized to control the operation of the elements of the above-described paper web supply mechanism. This control circuit includes relays lll90, push button type switches 9I9, transformers Nil-H35, and limit switches III IM. Contacts which are operatively associated with, i. e. open and closed by, particularly relays are denoted by the reference numeral assigned to the relay followed by a suitable lower case letter suffix, a, b, "6, etc. Solenoid operated valves for controlling the supply of compressed air to the various pneumatic actuators will also be included in the following discussion. Thus the solenoids are denoted by the same reference numeral applied to the actuator with which they are associated with an upper case suffix, A, B, etc.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings, the electric control is there shown in the condition for normal press operation before the making of a paster is undertaken. Thus relay is is energized and relays II-82 inclusive are ole-energized; all pneumatic actuators and operators 39, d8, 52 and 59, respectively, for

the predrive assembly 35, the paster carriage 46, I

the brushes 45 and the tail cutter 55, are in retracted position. The limit switch contacts I I I- II l are open.

When the printing press attendant observes that the running web roll III) is about to expire so that it is necessary to transfer web supply from the roll I II) to the new roll I Ia, he first ascertains that the new roll I la is in the position shown in 1 and then operates the predrive push button Iii. together with predrive push button 9| are in series with contacts 10a of the relay it across the power mains PP. The contacts Illa are closed since the relay in is energized as noted above. Upon operation of relay II, its contacts Ila and I'll) are closed. The predrive push button 9| is equipped with an additional set of contacts 9Ib which are also closed upon operation of the relay lI so as to complete a series circuit consisting of the primary of transformer Isl, the contacts lilb of relay Ill, and the contacts lib of the relay II.

Upon energizing the primary of the transformer IllI, its secondary energizes the predrive and pastor carriage actuator solenoids 39A and iSA. The armatures of those solenoids are directly connected with the pneumatic control valves for the predrive and paster carriage actuators 39 and 43, respectively. Upon actuation of the solenoids, they are operative to open the valves to supply compressed air to the actuators This first energizes the relay II since its coil,

so as to lower the predrive belts 36 into contact with the periphery of the new paper roll I la and to move the paster carriage from its retracted, out-of-the-way position shown in Fig. 1 into its lowered position as shown in Fig. 2. Upon indexing the reel I0 into the position shown in Fig. 1, limit switch III was closed by means of a cam actuator I9a disposed in coaxial relation with the central reel shaft I9 (Fig. 2). With the limit switch III closed, the relay II remains energized through its contacts I Ia, the limit switch I I I, the contact Ila and the relay coil II being in series between the power mains P-P (self-holding).

When the relay II is energized thus closing, in addition to its self-holding contacts I Ia, the contacts IIb, a circuit for operating the actuator 53 for the web deflecting brushes 45 is conditioned for completion by the action of the press attendant at the moment that he determines that the paster should be made. When that moment arrives, the attendant presses the paster push button 92. In so doing, relay I2 is energized closing its contacts Ha, I21; and 120. The contacts 12a bridge the push button 92 so as to maintain the relay I2 energized (self-holding). Upon closing the contacts 121), a timing circuit including relays I3, 14, I5 and I6 is conditioned for operation, which can take place upon closing of limit switch I E2. The limit switch I I2 is disposed on the spider arm supporting the new paper roll Na and is adapted to be actuated by a cam IBa rotatable with the paper roll spindle I8 supported by the spider arms I'l. It will be apparent, therefore, that the sequence of events to follow are timed in accordance with the speed of rotation of the new eb roll I la. For this reason, each of the spider arms I? is equipped with a similar cam actuator Isa and timing limit switch I I2 for sequence control when they support a paper roll which will be the new web roll. It is necessary, however, to describe only one actuator and switch since the others are identical with it.

For proper operation of the timing limit switch 5 I2 by the cam operator I8a therefor, care must be taken in preparing the leading end of the paper on the new web roll I la to insure that the peripheral extent of the paste or glue applied thereto is only to a point immediately opposite the limit switch cam operator I8a. For this purpose, a suitable indicator such as an arrow I I B is provided on the outer end of each spindle III to indicate the position of the cam operator I8a and thereby denote the limit point for the glue along the roll upon initially preparing the same.

Having conditioned the timing circuit upon operation of the paster push button 92 with the consequent closing of the relay contact 121), upon rotation of the paper roll Na and its spindle I8 the limit switch II 2 is closed by the cam IBa. Thus the relay I3 is energized so as to close its contacts Ii-la. When the contacts 13a close, the relay 75 is energized thereby closing its contacts 35a, 15b and 15c. The contacts 15a are the selfholding contacts for the relay I5. The contacts T51), upon closing, complete a series circuit including additionally the relay contacts H0 and the primary of transformer I 62, which series circuit is across the power mains PP. The secondary of the transformer I92 then serves to energize the solenoid operator 53A for opening the pneumatic supply valve to the belt deflecting brush actuator 53.

Also upon energizing the relay I5 its contacts 15c are closed to complete a series circuit through the contact No of the relay 1| and the primary :aesaoos of transformer [03. The secondary of the transformer Hi3, thus energized, is effective to operate a solenoid 3913 to supply compressed air to the predrive actuator 35 to retract the predrive assembly 35. The relay T is equipped with still other sets of contacts 75d and 75a so that simultaneously with theretraction of the predrive asembly 35 and with the operation of the web deflecting brush actuator 53, relay 83 is energized by the completion of a series circuit between the power mains P-P which circuit includes in addition to the contacts d the normally closed contacts 89a of relay 80, the normally closed contacts 8 3a of relay 84 and the coil of relay 83. Upon energization of the relay 33, its contacts Sta-83d are closed so as to condition the reel motor power circuit for forward operation. The latter circuit includes a conventional three-wire power line, R1, R2, and R3. When the relay 15 was energized so that its contacts the were closed, relay T9 was energized through the completion of a series circuit including in addition to the coil of the relay 19 and the contacts the, the normally closed contacts of relay iii]. The relay l9 operates to close its contacts 19a and to open its normally closed contacts lab. When the contacts 19a and lflb are respectively closed and opened, relays 85 and B6 are respectively energized and cut out of the circuit. Upon energization of relay 85, its contacts t5w85c are closed so that the reel motor 28 is not only operated in a forward direction but also at high speed.

After the cam operator lila passes the limit switch IE2 the limit switch opens thereby deenergizing the relay 13, opening its contacts 73a and closing its contacts 13b. When the contacts 73?) close, the relay H5 is energized by the establishment of a series circuit including the coil of the relay '36, the contacts 15a, 72b and Nb, in addition to the contacts 131), which series circuit is across the power mains P-P. The relay 16 operates to close its contacts 16a and 7%, the former being operative to maintain current flow through the coil of the relay 16 so that it is selfholding.

Upon closing the contacts 16b, the series circuit comprising in addition to such contacts the coil of relay 1 2, its contacts Ma, the contacts 12b, and the contacts Ha, is conditioned for operation. After the roll Ila has made one complete revolution, the timing limit switch H2 is again closed by means of the cam operator [8a. This completes the above-mentioned series circuit that was conditioned upon closing of the relay contact lab. The relay contacts 14o maintain the relay energized and thus self-holding.

Upon completion of the energizing circuit for the relay lli so that the same is operated, its contacts Mb are closed thereby energizing the primary of transformer N34. The secondary of transformer we thus becomes effective to operate the solenoid 59A to open the pressure fluid supply valve for the tail cutter actuator 59 so as to move the tail cutter into engagement with the running web from the expiring roll NZ) to sever the same.

At the end of the forward stroke of the tail cutter 515, it engages a limit switch H3 to close the same. When the limit switch H3 is closed, relay l8 and the primary of transformer I05 are energized through the completion of a series circuit which, in addition to the coil of relay l8 and the primary of transformer I05 and the limit switch H3, includes the contacts 'llc of 10 the relay 7!. The relay '8 by means of its contacts 18a is self-holding upon energization thereof, and when it is energized its contacts "ltb areclosed thereby completing a circuit through relay H, the contacts 8% of relay iii), and the contacts I I0 of relay ll between the power mains PP. Upon the energization of relay 18, an additional set of contacts 730 are also closed thereby completing a circuit which additionally includes a solenoid H'ib carried by the spider arms I? supporting the expiring roll lib. This solenoid Illb is operative to apply a bralre (not shown) to the spindle I8 supporting the expiring roll ill) to stop the same and thus minimize the amount of paper run off after the web being drawn therefrom is severed by the tail cutter 55.

Energization of the primary of the transformer [Q5 results in the production of a current in its secondary so as to operate solenoids 53B and 59B respectively carried by the web deflecting brush actuator 53 and the tail cutter actuator 59 to operate the pressure fiuid control valves thereof in such manner that the actuators retract the brushes and the tail cutter 55.

At the same time, normally closed contacts ltd of the relay l8 are opened thereby (ls-energizing transformers H32, H13 and Hi l.

It will be recalled that all during this time the reel motor 28 is indexing the new web roll Ha at high speed into the belts M and against the feet 62 of the pastor carriage 46 thus moving the same rearwardly. Mounted on the supporting structure !6 is a limit switch Md which is adapted to be engaged by the carriage 46 when the new web roll Ha is into the belts far enough for the belts to exert sufficient braking force thereon for web tension control by the operation of the tension control system (the latter including in addition to the belts It, the belt actuator 2 pressure regulator 23 and floating roller it). When the limit switch H6 is closed the relay 38 is energized since its coil is in a series circuit including in addition to the limit switch 5 It the contacts lZc of relay '!2 and contacts lie of relay ll. It might be noted at this point that the contacts $20 of the relay 12 are included in the circuit so as to prevent completion thereof as the carriage it is advanced because the relay 72 is not operated until after the carriage 46 has been fully advanced. As previously noted, the relay 3G is selfholding by means of its contacts Upon operation of the relay 88 its normally closed contacts 860 are opened thereby de-energizing relay 19 which is included in the series circuit with the contacts 800. Upon de-energizing the relay '59, its contacts 79a are opened and 1% are closed. As a result of the opening of contacts lila the relay S5 is de-energized thereby opening its contacts Btu-c.

With the closing of relay contacts iiib, relay St is energized, thereby closing its contacts 56a, 36b and 850. These latter contacts are inserted in the supply lines for the reel motor it from ordinary three-phase power mains R1, R2 and R3. Thus, with the high-speed circuit opened, the motor then indexes the reel ill at low speed toward its normal operative feeding station as indicated in Fig. 8.

It will be recalled that when the relay i8 is actuated its contacts 581) complete the circuit including the coil of relay Ti so as to energize the same. When the relay ii is energized its contacts lla are closed thereby energizing the primary of transformer Flt. The secondary of transformer tilt is included in a series circuit including a solenoid 483. The solenoid 48B is operative to move the control valve for the paster carriage actuator 48 into position whereby the actuator retracts the carriage 48 into its out-ofthe-way position.

The foregoing sequence of operations having been completed, the pasting operation is now completed. The reel motor 20, however, continues to operate indexing the new web roll IIa toward the position shown in Fig. 8. When it reaches such position, the limit switch actuator I I Ia carried by the reel I disengages the limit switch I I I so as to open the same. When the limit switch III is opened, the circuit including the relay Ii is broken thereby de-energizing the relay N. This opens its contacts Ha, Ilb and Ho. Contacts Ha are the self-holding contacts for the relay. The contacts IIb comprise what might be termed the holding switch for the paster circuit, and the contact 'lIc comprises what might be termed the holding circuit for the tail cutter and carriage circuits. With the opening of these latter contacts, the relays 12 through I8 and $0 are de-energized. Upon de-energizing the relay TI, the primary of transformer I06 is also deenergized. Upon opening of the relay contacts lla, the carriage actuator 08 is left held in retracted position so as to maintain the carriage in its out-of-the-way position. The system is now in the same condition as it was in the beginning of this description.

The foregoing description has contemplated the sequence and operation for the making of a paster at a relatively high speed of operation of the printing press, on the order of 50,000 newspapers per hour for example. Under slow speed operation, on the order of 25,000 newspapers per hour or less, the operational sequence changes as follows: With the reel motor 20 operating at high speed, the new web roll IIa indexes into the paster carriage 46 before the tail cutter 55 is advanced and before the web supplied from the expiring web roll III) is severed. Thus the carriage 46 is moved rearwardly by the advancing web roll I in to close limit switch I I4. When this switch is closed the series circuit including the limit switch, the contacts H0, 120 and the relay 80 is completed thereby energizing the relay 8%. Since the tail cutter has not advanced, the relay I3 is not energized because the circuit in which it is included is completed by the closing of limit switch H3 upon forward movement of the tail cutter 55. As a result of operating the relay 80 the normally closed contacts 80a and 800 are opened. This causes the relay I9 to be de-energized thereby opening its contacts lQa. When the contacts 'I9a are opened, the relay 85 is deenergized with the result that its contacts 85a, 85b and 850 are opened, and power supply from the mains R1, R2 and R3 is interrupted. This stops further indexing of the reel I0 and the new web roll IIa. When the web roll IIa has made a complete revolution, the limit switch H2 is again closed. The tail cutter advances closing limit switch H3. This causes relay i3 and the primary of transformer I05 to be energized. When the transformer I05 is energized, its secondary becomes effective to operate the solenoids 59B and 5313 with the result that the web engaging brushes and the tail cutter are retracted. With the operation of the relay I3 its contacts 180 are closed so as to apply a brake to the spindle of the expired web roll Hi).

When the relay T9 was de-energized upon the operation of relay 80 so as to open its contacts c, relay contacts 191) return to their normally closed position thereby energizing relay 85. This results in a closing of contacts 00a, 80b and 860 to re-eliect a connection between the power mains R1, R2 and R3 and the reel motor 716) but in such manner as to operate the motor at low speed. The reel l0 and thus the new web roll iIa are therefore indexed at slowspeed toward the position shown in Fig. 8.

When the relay T0 was energized, its contacts 181) were closed thereby energizing the relay 'I'l with the result that the contacts lid of the latter were closed so as to energize the primary of transformer I08. The secondary of this transformer then becomes effective to operate the solenoid 48B whereby the paster carriage actuator valve is operated so as to cause the actuator 38 to retract the paster carriage 4B.

As the reel continues to advance, the cam actuator I I la disengages the limit switch i H so as to open the same. As a result relay ll drops out with the corresponding interruption of the circuits for relays 72 through 78 and 00. When the relay Ii drops out, the primary of transformer I00 is ole-energized and thus the solenoid 48B is tie-energized leaving the carriage retracted. With the interruption of the relay circuits noted above, the relays drop out, and the entire circuit is left in the condition it was found at the beginning of this description.

With the press operating at any printing speed, the relay Bl is energized thereby closing its contacts Ma, and opening its contacts Bib. The closing of the contacts 810; energizes relay 88 so as to close its contacts 88a. This conditions a series circuit interposed between the power mains P-P that includes the coil of a relay 89. If a break in the paper web W should occur, the relay 8? is de-energized and its normally closed contacts 8Tb are again closed thereby completing the circuit that includes the contacts 8%, the contacts 08a and the coil of the relay 8%. Upon energizing the relay 89, its normally closed contacts 88a are opened with the result that a contractor is de-energized and a brake (not shown) is applied to the press. The relay 89 has a set of normally open contacts 8% in the circuit of a reset relay 90 so that when the relay 89 is actuated, reset relay S0 is energized to close its contacts 90a, 90b, 90c and 90d. The contacts Gila complete a series circuit between the power mains PP to energize the primary of transformer W3. This causes the solenoid 48B in the secondary circuit of transformer I06 to be energized to operate the pressure fluid control valve of the carriage actu-- ator 48 so that the carriage is retracted. The contacts Siib are normally closed so that upon energizing the relay 90 these contacts are opened. The contacts 902) are in the coil circuit of the relay I0 so that when the contacts are opened the relay '10 drops out. This relay 10 includes a set of normally closed contacts 700. When the relay I0 is de-energized, the contacts we are closed. This completes a circuit between the power mains PP which includes a solenoid Ill. This solenoid is effective to apply a brake to the spindle of the new web roll I la to prevent it from running off a large amount of paper which, due to the web break cannot be used.

When the relay I0 dropped out (upon energizing relay 90) its contacts 101) opened. With the opening of the relay contacts 10b, the primary of transformer IOI is de-energized, and this deenergizes the solenoids 39A and 48A, respectively, which were effective to operate the pressure fluid :13 control valves to advance the predrive actuator 39 and the carriage actuator 48. At the same time, because of the operationof the relay 99, the relay contacts Silo and bile. are closed with the result that the primaries of the transformers its and H15 are energized. Thus the solenoids 39B,

53B and MB, which are in series with theses" ondaries of these transformers, are energized to operate the pressure fluid control valves for the predrive, brush and. tail cutter actuators 39, 51:3 and 59, respectively, to retract the predrive assembly 35, the paster brushes l5 and the tail cutter 55.

A similar sequence of events as above described for stopping the web supply to the printing press in the case of a web break occurs if there is a power failure in the main power circuit P-P at any point in the cycle.

As hereinabove noted, certain of the elements of the electric circuit were noted as being -disposed on the reel I ll or its spider arms I i. These elements include the solenoids i l'iand the timing limit switches El?! disposed at the ends of the spider arms l! adjacent the spindles l8 journaled therein. Preferably, connection is made to these elements by means of a movable plug and jack arrangement I Elia, lfiiib. The jack l 28b is disposed on the spider arm i'l adjacent the end of the spider arm (Fig. 2). The plug is, of course, mounted on the end of a suitable cable the opposite end of which is appropriately connected to the solenoid brake actuator circuit and the circuits with which the timing limit switch l i2 is associated, as above described, through the medium of any suitable arrangement of terminal ccnherein indicated by the reference numeral Ila,

the plug I200. is simply shifted from the spider arm supporting the then expiring web roll llb to the jack l29b of the spider arm which is supporting the new web roll. This plug transfer takes place before the predrive push button 9| is pressed to initiate the sequence of events which will ultimately result in making a pastor.

As hereinbefore noted, not only is it necessary to make provision for operating the brake applying solenoid l'la to brake the new web roll I la (as in the case of an emergency red-button stop), but provision must be made also for the operation of the solenoid Illb so as to brake the e"- piring roll I lb when the tail is out. Since the plug llllia is received in the jack lZtb for the new roll i la, interconnection with that jack and the solehold I llb must be provided on the reel Ill. A suitable interconnection network of conductors for this purpose is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2.

Summary of operation Having thus described the construction and arrangement of the instant 'paper web supply mechanism and the electrical control system therefor, the operation of making a paster may be summarized as follows. For this purpose referonce is made particularly to Figs. 10 and 11 14 wherein the sequence of events in relation to time is graphically illustrated.

It will be recalled that after the paper web from the roll llb was severed and the new web roll lla was indexed into the position shown in Fig. 8, indexing was stopped when such position was reached. In this position of the reel IS the spider arms H for the roll lib were in positionfor the removal of the remaining core of the roll I lb and the loading of a full paper roll l lc therebetween from a suitable dolly or the like. As soon as that new paper roll He was loaded, the press attendant prepared the leading end of the paper on the roll by folding it into a substantially right angular point and applying a suitable glue thereto. This new paper roll He, thus prepared, becomes the new web roll Ila upon indexing the reel It into the position shown in Fig. 1. By the same token of course, the previously denoted roll i la becomes the roll I lb.

When the press operator notes that the paper on the roll llb is beginning to run out so that it is nearly time to change web supply to roll He, the plug lifia is removed from the jack on the spider arms Il supporting the roll lib and inserted in the jack I291) on the spider arm supporting the roll Ila. By means of suitable push button switches t3 or be (Fig. 13) at his control station, the operator causes power to be applied to the reel indexing motor 29 to operate the same either forwardly or in the reverse direction to locate the roll I la in the position shown in Fig. i. In this position, the periphery of the new web roll I la is spaced approximately one-half to one inch from the running web W. At this point, everything is in readiness for the making of a paster when the press attendant notes that such time has come.

For purposes of discussion, it will be assumed that the press is operating at high speed, c. g. at a production rate of approximately 50,006 newspapers per hour. At this press rate the web is drawn into the press at about thirty feet per second. It will be assumed also that the circumference of the new web roll l la is ten feet.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 10, when the press attendant notes that the expiring web roll llb has diminished to a diameter of twelve to fifteen inches, he presses the predrive push button QI This initiates the sequence of events and is denoted by the first vertical dotted line in 18. Operation of the predrive button results in actuation of the predrive actuator 31% to lower the predrive assembly 35 so that its belts engage the periphery of the new web roll l l a. Movement of the predrive assembly into roll engaging position is indicated at A in Fig. 10.

Simultaneously with the lowering of the pre-= drive assembly the patter carriage is lowered by operation of its actuator it. Thus the paster carriage is in position wherein the brushes as and the tail cutter can engage the running web W. Movement of the pastor carriage is indicated in Fig. 10 at B.

The predriv'e assembly is, of course, maintained in its lowered position until the new web roll i it: is brought up to press speed. This may take approximately twenty-five seconds or more when the press is being operated at high speed. By this time the running web roll lib will be down al" most to its core whereupon the press attendant operates the paste push button 92. With the web W being withdrawn into the press at the rate of approximately thirty feet a second and with a new roll Ila with a circumference of ten feet, according to the above assumptions, then one-third of a second or less will elapse between the time the paste button is pushed and subsequent action is initiated. The actual time depends on the angular position of the timing switch actuator l8a with respect to the timing switch ll2 according to the position of the web roll lia and its supporting spindle l8 when the paste button is pressed.

When the limit switch actuator l8a operates the timing limit switch I I2, the electrical control system is effective to move the valve controlling the supply of compressed air to the brush actuator 53 to advance the brushes 45 and deflect the running web W toward the new web roll lla. Simultaneously with the operation of the brush actuator 53, the reel I is indexed at high speed toward the paster carriage 4'6 and into the belts l0. Movement of the brushes is indicated in Fig. by line C. The indexing speed of the reel It is indicated by line D.

It will be noted upon reference to line B that the paster carriage continues to be held down while the brushes are advanced to deflect the web and the reel is indexing at high speed. However, upon advancing of the brushes and initiation of the high-speed indexing of the reel l0, the predrive assembly 35 is retracted by the operation of its actuator 39.

Before another complete revolution of the new web roll Ila has been completed so as to again operate the timing limit switch N2, the reel motor will have indexed the reel l0 so that the new web roll lla engages the belts H! which are backed up by the resilient feet 62. The latter are mounted on the paster carriage 40 which is held down with a constant force as determined by the force of the pressure fluid in the actuator 48. Continued indexing of the reel l0 into the belts It and against the feet 62 opposes the action of the carriage actuator 48 and initiates rearward movement of the paster carriage 48. The point of engagement between the periphery of the new web roll I la with the belts I l and feet 62 is indicated at I in line B in Fig. 10, and the initial rearward movement of the paster carriage is indicated by an upward slanting of the line B.

After a short time has elapsed between the engagement of the new web roll Illa. with the belts l4 and feet 62 on the paster carriage 46 (such time being allowed to insure that the feet 62 attain sufficient deflection caused by the new roll Ha so as to be effective to exert a braking force on the new web roll), and one-third of a second after the limit switch M2 was operated, the new web roll llla will have made a full revolution. Thereupon the limit switch H2 is again operated by the actuator lBa. As a result, the tail cutter is advanced to sever the web withdrawn from the expiring web roll llb. This second operation of the limit switch ll2 causes the electrical control system to become effective to operate the brush actuator 53 to withdraw the brushes 45 and at the same time to cause the spindle brake for the spindle l8 supporting the expired core to be applied.

As soon as the tail cutter reaches its advanced position and has severed the web from the roll llb, the tail cutter operates its limit switch 3 and the tail cutter actuator 59 is operated to immediately retract the tail cutter 55. Tail cutter operation is indicated by line E in Fig. 10, and expired core brake operation is indicated by line F.

Approximately one-third of a second after the last operation of the limit switch H2, the paster carriage 46 will be moved rearwardly far enough by the action of the indexing new web roll lla to engage and operate the limit switch I l0. When this takes place, the paster carriage actuator 48 is operated to retract the paster carriage into its out-of-the-way position. Simultaneously reel indexing at high speed is stopped, and the reel is indexed at low speed. The reel continues to index at low speed until the new web roll lla reaches the position shown in Fig. 8 which is the normal operative feeding position. As this posi tion is reached the limit switch actuator llla centrally of the reel l0 actuates the limit switch l l l restoring the electrical control system to normal running condition, and the pasting operation is completed. The tension control system in cluding the floating roller l5, jet pipe regulator 23, belt actuator 24 and belts l4 operates normally to control tension in the running web W. It is to be noted that by the time the new web roll I Ea is indexed far enough to move the paster carriage back against the action of its actuator 48 so that the limit switch 4 is operated, the new web roll Ila is far enough into the belts It so that the belts are capable of applying suflieient braking force thereto to control web tension by means of the tension control system.

When the limit switch lll is operated to restore the electrical control system to normal running condition, the brake applied to the spindle l8 supporting the expired roll core is released. Thus the spindle is freed for removal of the core and loading of a new roll of paper.

The elapsed time between the moment the paster carriage is retracted fully and the reel begins to index at slow speed and the moment the limit switch III is operated, as determined by the actual speed at which the reel I0 is indexed, amounts to approximately four seconds.

The total elapsed time, therefore, according to the above assumptions of roll circumference and running web speed, between the time the paste button is pressed and the time the paster operation is completed, amounts to approximately five seconds. Taking into consideration the time necessary for bringing the new web roll up to press speed, the overall time required for the entire operation is but one-half of a minute.

The operation is slightly different, as previously noted in the discussion of the electrical control circuit, when the printing press is operated at relatively slow speed, for example at a production rate of 25,000 newspapers or less per hour. Such operation is indicated in Fig. 11 wherein line A illustrates predrive assembly movement, line B indicates paster carriage movement, line C indicates brush movement, line D indicates indexing speed, line E indicates tail cutter movement, and line F indicates expired core brake operation. For the discussion of slow speed operation, it will be assumed that the running web W is being withdrawn into the press at the rate of approximately fifteen feet per second and that the new web roll I la has a circumference of ten feet. As before, sufficient time is allowed between the pressing of the predrive button and the pressing of the paste button to allow the predrive assembly to bring the peripheral speed of the new web roll lla up to press speed. This time may be on the order of twenty seconds more or less. When the predrive button 0| is pressed, the predrive assembly 35 is lowered so that its belts 36 engage the periphery of the 17 running'web roll. Simultaneously, the paster carriage is lowered so that the brushes 45 are adjacent the running web W. I

After sufficient time has been allowed for the new web roll H a to attain a peripheral speed equal to the press speed, the press attendant operates the paste button 92. Two-thirds of a second or less later, depending on the initial angular position of the actuator ltd relative to the limit switch H2, the limit switch is engaged by the actuator so as to cause the predrive assembly 35to be retracted, the brush actuator 53 to beoperated to advance the brushes 45 into engagement with the running web W to deflect the same toward the new web roll Ha, and to cause the reel indexing motor 20 to operate at high speed to index the reel l and the roll I la rapidly toward the running web W and the paster carriage 46. In this instance and as shown by line G, with the press operating at slow speed, the new roll Hiw will be indexed into the belts l4 far enough for them, by means of the normal tension control system, including the floating roller 15, to be capable of controlling web tension before new web roll Ha has made a complete revolution so as to again actuate the limit switch H2. When this point in the path of travel of the new web roll and the carriage occurs, the carriage 46, as before, operates the limit switch H4 which, in low speed operation, results in stopping of the indexing of the reel ill rather than causing indexing to change from high speed to low speed operation as it does in high speed operation. This occurs because low speed indexing is begun simultaneously with the retraction of the brushes 45 by operation of the actuator 53, the advance of the tail cutter 55 by its actuator 59, and the application of the brake Hlb to the expired core, all of which action takes place through the operation of limit switch H2. The limit switch H2, however, is operated only on the completion of one revolution of the new web roll Ha which, in low speed operation, has not taken place at the time that the new web roll and the paster carriage 46 have reached the position wherein the carriage limit switch H4 is actuated. After the roll Ila has completed one revolution so that the limit switch H 2 is operated, the tail cutter 55 is then operated and the core brake applied. Actuation of the limit switch H2 also effects the retraction of the brushes 45 and of the paster carriage 45. At the same time, reel indexing at low speed is begun and continues until the new web roll Ha reaches the position shown in Fig, 8 whereupon the limit switch H2 is actuated to out ofi the indexing motor, release the core brake and restore the control circuit to normal running condition.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a web supply mechanism, the combination comprising an indexible reel for supporting both a first paper roll from which the Web is running and a second paper roll to which web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, tension control means including a brake belt initially in braking engagement with the first roll and finally in braking engagement with the second roll upon transfer of web supply thereto to maintain normal running web tension, and a paster assembly for joining the leading end of the paper on the second roll to the run-- ning web and severing the paper from the first roll, and means for indexing said reel initially at relatively high speed when web supply is transferred to the second roll and for subsequently at relatively slow speed when the second roll attains braking engagement with said belt and until the second roll attains normal web supply position. j r

2. In a web supply mechanism, the combination comprising an indexible reel for supporting both a first pap-er roll from which the web is running and a second paper roll to which web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, tension control means including a belt initially in braking engagement with the first roll and finally in braking engagement with the second roll upon transfer of web supp-1y thereto to maintain normal running web tension, said tension control means also including a hydraulic operator for said belt to determine the force applied by said belt to said paper rolls, and a paster assembly having means for joining the leading end of the paper on the second roll to the running web and means for severing the paper from the first roll, and means for indexing said reel first at relatively high speed when web supply is transferred to the second roll and for indexing the same at relatively slow speed when the second roll attains braking engagement with said belt and until the second roll attains normal web supply position for allowing exhaust of fluid from said operator so that said tension control means can accommodate the second roll.

3. In a web supply mechanism, the combination comprising a reel for supporting both a first paper roll from which the web is running and a second paper roll to which web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, means for indexing said reel to move said second roll toward the running web, a paster assembly movable into a position adjacent the running web upon indexing said reel for joining the leading end of the paper on the second roll to the running web, and severing the paper from the first roll and means operative as an incident to the movement of said assembly to direct an air jet against the running web so as to eliminate flutter in the web from the first roll and to blow the paper from the first roll out of the way upon severance thereof.

t. In a web supply mechanism, the combination comprising a reel for supporting both a first paper roll from which the web is running and a second paper roll to which web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, means for indexing said reel to move said second roll toward the running web, a paster assembly for joining the leading end of the paper on the second roll to the running web and severing the paper from the first roll, a pneumatic actuator for said assembly to move the same between an out-of-the-way position and a position adjacent the running web, and air jet means carried by said assembly and operatively associated with said actuator to apply an air stream against said running web from the first roll when said assembly is adjacent the same so as to minimize flutter therein and to blow the paper from the first roll out of the way upon severance thereof.

5. In a web supply mechanism, the combination comprising a reel for supporting both a first paper roll from which the Web is running and a second paper roll to which web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, means for indexing said reel to move the second roll toward the running web, a paster assembly operative to first join the leading end of the paper on the second roll to the running web and then to sever the paper from the first roll, and means for applying a jet of air to the running web from the first roll when a paster is about tobe made to minimize flutter therein andto blow the. paper from; the first, roll out of the way upon severance thereof.

6. In a web supply mechanism, the combinationcomprising a reel for supporting both a first paper roll from which the web is running and a second roll to which Web supply is transferred as the first roll is about to expire, means for indexing said reel to move the second roll toward the running. web, a paster assembly operative to join theleading end of the paper on the second roll to the running web and to sever the paper from the. first roll, a pneumatic actuator for moving said assembly into operative position adjacent said running web, and means effective as an incident to the operation 01'? said aetuator to apply anair jet to the paper from the first roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 

